I literally love mystery subscriptions. They are such a marmite-esque thing, as some people love them and some people hate them. In my regular day to day life I hate surprises, as I like to be in control of situations, and I even struggle not to tell people what their birthday and Christmas gifts are, but bizarrely mystery subscriptions are an exception to the rule. Maybe it's because they make me curious?
I have been a member of the planning community for just short of 8 years, discovering this amazing hobby just after Theadora was born. It is such a huge part of my life now, not least for being how I found some of my closest friends and how I spend so much of my spare time. I am very lucky that one of my closest, most wonderful friends owns a very successful planner shop in the UK, Plannerface, and they currently offer a mystery subscription that I subscribe to.
I became a subscriber of the Plannerface mystery in June 2021 and my first kit was the July 2021 mystery, meaning I am approaching 5 years of subs - that is 60 kits! Anna creates the mystery sub ideas with our friend Kat, and then works with artists to have the custom artwork made. Anna then uses these artwork elements to design the 4 mystery formats she offers. I remember the exact kit that convinced me to subscribe - Coastal - of which I still have 2 copies in old kit formats!
The mystery originated with 2 formats available in 2 types of paper; the Standard Vertical Kit (SVK) and Mini Kit, both available in either Removable Matte or Premium Matte sticker paper. Later, the Journalling format was added, and most recently, the Creative Kit format. You can see the contents of each format here. My favourite is the SVK, as I plan in a 7x9 coiled planner from Tilly Journals, so this format suits me best. I can't usually be relied upon to not stick stickers wonkily....so I stick to removable matte paper! Recently I have also been favouring the creative kit, as the sticky papers and deco elements are perfect for junk journalling.
Anna's mystery kit is exclusive to the mystery for 12 months, meaning it doesn't release in the shop until a year after it has been released. On the very rare occasion Anna prints overstock, these are usually available on the website not too long after the mystery ships. Each month a sneak peek graphic is shared, using some of the artwork from the kit. This gives people an opportunity to get a bit of a vibe as to the theme of the kit.
Mystery subscription spots open on the 25th of each month, closing on the 1st of the following month. It is printed, cut and shipped in house by Anna from Plannerface HQ. You can sign up as a one-off purchase or as a reoccurring subscription which is automatically charged each month until you cancel. Prices vary per kit format, but start from just £10.95 plus postage.
I really love that sometimes the mystery kits are designed with a theme in mind, and specific kits can be quite hard to find. Given I use 52 weekly kits per year in my planner, having one per month laid out for me works amazingly in helping me allocate kits to each week. I unbox the mystery kits on my YouTube channel each month, you can view these here.
For transparency, I am a member of the PR team for Plannerface and do sometimes receive discounted and gifted products. However I do pay in full for my mystery kit as per every other customer. My PR code is not valid on the mystery kit, however if you want to go shopping, you can use my code BETH to save some pennies on the website!
I have also this month subscribed to a new subscription from Eve Anderson Draws, which is called Eve's Sticker Club! I am really excited to receive my first month, so watch this space for more info on that!
Beth x